I am beginning to take it all personally.

The attacks on contraception and the Girls Scouts particularly. My child bearing days are pretty much over and I never was and will never be a Girls Scout. But I have an 11 year old daughter. She has been a Girl Scout for the past couple of years. I missed the day where they promoted abortion and handed out Planned Parenthood propaganda. But I will tell you what they really do that upsets the conservative, patriarchal right wing. They teach young girls to be competent, independent and successful women who care about those less fortunate than themselves. And we couldn't have that could we?

Over and over I have been impressed with the quality of the Girl Scout program. The popular cookie sales program has been a great tool for my daughter to learn basic business skills; marketing, supply and demand, simple accounting, goal setting and working with a team. They have long term philanthropic projects that they plan and execute. They collected supplies for abandoned animals last year. This year they prepared and served a meal for a group of homeless men. The big curriculum focus this year (she is with a slightly older troop) has been identifying and addressing bullying. In short, she is learning to be a competent, professional woman who is not going to be bullied, nor is she going to be a bully, who cares about the less fortunate.

Contraception is a huge societal good anyway you slice it. Statistically, almost all women use it at some point in their lives. It helps keep families out of poverty. It reduces the need for abortions. We have the medical knowledge to do this safely, effectively and a reasonable cost. It is all win. But they want to limit access to contraception and expose a whole new generation to the stress and potential poverty that accompanies unplanned births. They want my beautiful, bright daughter, the one who writes exquisitely sensitive poetry and and taught herself to read at three, to be a mindless baby machine. I want her to be a parent someday if that is what she wants. But who does it benefit if she is held hostage to her reproductive system? It reduces her ability to get educated and earn a living. It increases the burden she might place on society. And although it looks like a great way to control women, it will burden her eventual partner who will also have to figure out how to raise and pay for the unplanned children. Why, why why do they want this? It makes no sense to me.

I have always considered myself a feminist, but for whatever reason, I have been more likely to fight for campaign finance reform. But now it is personal. They are threatening my daughter at a time when she is becoming most vulnerable. I vow to fight.

18. Absolutely!

And it affects men directly too. I have a male partner who earns a living and shares in the child raising duties. We decided jointly that we could only afford two children. That was the most we could reasonably afford to raise, even though I would have liked more. If we had more, he would be just as trapped as me since there is no way he would abandon us. I work outside the home part time. People standing in the way of my education and ability to work hurt my husband (and existing children) as well since I contribute to the financial bottom line in this family too. Without my work, we would not be able to save for college and for our retirement down the line. So it is keeping us out of the safety net.

41. My thoughts exactly

As a husband, son and brother (all to women by crikey!), this is really disgraceful. These men aren't men at all - just a bunch of little schoolyard bullies picking on the wimmen-folk as they retreat to their he-man woman-haters clubhouse.

3. Bingo

But I will tell you what they really do that upsets the conservative, patriarchal right wing. They teach young girls to be competent, independent and successful women who care about those less fortunate than themselves. And we couldn't have that could we?

Pretty much dead on. As long as the Girl Scouts don't teach them to be barefoot and pregnant, the GOP will have a problem with them.

6. I've been taking it personally for quite a while

I have always been terrified of the religious right's influence on our politics. I have seen for a while that their real target was taking women out of the workplace and removing any gains we had made in the past 50+ years, rather than simply being against abortion. It isn't about abortion, it's about devaluing women.

I am just about safely to menopause, but I have two young nieces whose lives I do not want to see devalued in any way. I become enraged when I think of our country somehow passively accepting many steps backwards for women while we yawn.

The religious right isn't a joke, they are theocrats. They despise Iran because they can't stand that Islam can rule an intire country, controlling women and persecuting gays when their beloved extreme Christianity isn't doing the same in Gawwwwwwd's Amurikkka.

10. That was beautifully said.

12. proud former member of the brownies and girl scouts....and yeah, it's very personal

i had a complete hysterectomy two years ago, but i have two nieces who are in their twenties, and yeah this is very personal, and i am infuriated. the issue of birth control is personal too, and it is not santorum's or issa's business. they made a mistake when they started this war, and i also vow to fight them, and make them pay.

50. Same here,

on both the childhood history in Girl Scouts and a hysterectomy (five years ago).

We MUST fight for reproductive rights for all young people of child-bearing age. I remember my EXTREME frustration when I was in my early 20s and discovered that no MD would perform a tubal ligation for me, because "I might change my mind later and want children." I have always been clear that I would not be a biological parent--knowing that I could 'parent' any of the hundreds of thousands of children in need of a forever home. However, every doctor I saw patronizingly asserted to me that they knew best about refusing to do a tubal ligation on a young woman like me.

14. The Girl Scouts is a great organization.

43. I've heard the Mormons took over the Boy Scouts some time ago

When I was a Boy Scout back in the 70s, there was none of this religious nonsense. I think we did have to say something about believing in God (not Jesus) in the oath, but that definitely was not the focus of the organization back in those days. It really was all about knot-tying and camp-outs and merit badges then.

48. I know there are plenty of Boy Scouts, troops, and leaders

who are not into the whole religious/militaristic/anti-gay thing, but to me the fact remains if you let your kid become a Scout you are supporting the national organization, which pushes a backwards and offensive agenda.

We started our own group when our son was young and we had families participate where the parents were gay or atheist or just liberals turned off by the whole Scout mentality, etc.

15. That rw idiot that is spouting this trash saw that all the other idiot issues were taken already so

he looked around for an good female to beat up on and found the Girl Scouts. In order to get elected they need to find a bs issue and prove they are crazy enough to walk the walk. Do you think that little twerp would have gotten this much publicity any other way? This stuff is all a political gimic but it is going to backfire on them. This is the sickest election season since I started watching elections during the first Eisenhower campaign.

46. It's more than that, it's the bubble they've made for themselves. They think they're the real...

...mainstream, and any confusion on the matter is just the tireless work of the Liberal Media.

Crap like this has been percolating through fundy (and their Catholic counterpart) circles for years. But they've worked so hard to put themselves into public positions to "take back" the government, now they'll spout that stuff where non-TrueBelievers can hear it.

For some it may be a gimmick, for others it's what they really think. Either way, the best way to stop them is to crush them politically.

51. Agreed. We must take them on at the polls. Wouldn't it be great if not a single one of them won?

17. Less poverty and less bigotry

There would be less poverty across large chunks of the Globe and a lot less bigotry against all manner of people - if the Catholic Church would just close up shop.
Less paedophile sex abuse too.
And lower rates of diseases like Aids.
And a healthier attitude to women. Equality to women is not part of Catholic teaching.

The Catholic Church has killed a great many people in it's time.
War, hunger, disease to name but three.

27. There is an option to buy boxes for troops serving overseas as well.

We always buy at least two boxes for donation and the grandparents do the same. Donating them to people with serious illness, low income seniors and/or homeless shelters seems like an awesome idea to me too! The troop always has miscellaneous boxes left after the last cookie booth. I will buy some and do that too. Great idea.

25. I know how you feel

I once worked for one of those organizations that didn't cover contraception in its health insurance coverage despite the premiums I paid each month. I was not a religious worker; I was a medical librarian. I paid $35 out of pocket every month for almost 2 years. And that was one of the least expensive prescriptions available.

Now, my health insurance covers the contraceptive prescription I use to keep from hemorrhaging, but it's still not cheap.

I am childfree, but I have 2 young nieces. They are the sort of girls of which Santorum is afraid -- intelligent, independent, curious, kind to everyone. And I will be damned if they will ever not have control over their bodies and lives.

26. Repukes have always been an insult to all personal issues

Issues only matters to repukes after one affects them, then all of a sudden it's the most important goddamn thing in the world. Repukes are social pariahs, self-imposed outcasts who quickly want to be let into the rest of society only when it's of benefit to them. In that respect they are truly anti-American and anti-democracy.

33. It terrifies me.

The two mainstream organizations that really had/have an impact on my life as a woman are under brutal attack. Planned Parenthood was there for me when I was a college student with no insurance. I would not have had other options for basic health care if not for them. Never got an abortion from them, but they gave me my yearly exam for a price I could afford. And now the GIRL SCOUTS are under attack? Really? They hate any group that gives girls or woman a leg up on life. That simple

34. Lord knows I sell enough cookies!

I do help out with my daughter's troop, but am not a full troop leader. I love the women who lead our troop. They work so hard to give the girls good, educational experiences. The funny thing is, they seem so conservative compared to many of my "regular" friends. All church going, suburban SAHMs. If these woman are in thrall to the devil, then our country is in bad shape, that is all I can say!

35. It is not unplanned births they care about

They actually think that without B/C people will have sex less often, particularly outside of marriage. There is no evidence for this as for most of human history, B/C did not exist, but all evidence is that sex outside of marriage was little if any less common.

People don't have sex because they happen to have some spare B/C laying about. They have sex because they like it. They have always liked it. It is biologically useful that we like it. It is biologically useful that all critters like it.

They can't shove this genie back into the bottle, because it was never there in the first place.

36. I talk to my own mom honestly and she verifies this.

Women of means who had an unplanned pregnancy out of wedlock were able to get an abortion. Either their regular GYN gave them a "medically necessary" D&C or they were shipped off to get the procedure. Only poor women were forced to bear the humiliation.

Also, back in the day it was more beneficial to have many children. High child mortality rates and a more agrarian economy combined to make it necessary for married couples to bear more children. But now it is rare for a child to die (thank god!) and very expensive and time consuming to get them to adulthood, which also comes much later. And then there is the over population thing. Fewer children are a necessity. Are married couples going to stop having sex because they can't find or afford reliable birth control? Should they have to?

38. K&R Wow,This OP is Good!!! Attacking the Girl Scouts was the last straw for me!

‎ They made a big mistake -- two-thirds of female members of Congress have been Girl Scouts...

We're fired up and ready to fight...!

"As women we often forget that we walk a path made easier by those women who went before us. May we all, as women, never let down those who fought, and in some cases died, to give us the rights we have as free educated, voting women today"

I am Woman, Hear me Roar;
"I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again
Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to
I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman ..."

39. We should all take the RW attacks personally

-I too am a former brownie and girl scout. My scout leaders were strong, funny and wise women who set great examples of leadership. This was during the 60's.

I too am appalled at the many ways these good 'ol boys want to bring back the regressive policies of past centuries, and raise their daughters to grow up as second class citizens.

These RW extremists have the most warmongering, violent, misogynist, sexist and socially dysfunctional policies we can ever imagine. They have risen to power by capitalizing on hate and divisiveness and prejudice and this cannot continue.

They are organized, the loopholes created between church and state have got to be eradicated once and for all.

It will be an interesting summer of 2012, many women will hit the streets, it is time to do this once again--and show our solidarity and DEMAND representation!! Enough!!

52. as you should

54. It's always been personal

And it still is. We older feminists fretted that it would come to this because our daughters (and theirs) seemed to know --and care -- so little about how it was. I HOPE people are properly terrified and outraged. It's an essential next step.

And after that, what we need to do is start pushing for our rights to be BETTER taken care of instead of these constant efforts to curtail or limit them. IOW, if abortion is constitutionally protected, why aren't we fighting for abortion clinics to be everywhere instead of allowing them to dwindle so that that alone reduces access? If birth control is constitutionally protected, why aren't we agitating and lobbying for it to be, say, federally funded for all women, no questions asked? Why aren't we agitating and lobbying for more battered women's shelters -- they too have dwindled in past years and the NEED has not.

Why aren't we fighting for advertisers to stop using scantily clad models to sell things that have nothing to do with women's weight, health, fitness or anything else about women (e.g., cars, beer and domain and hosting companies)? Whey are we allowing the oversexualization of our children, our pre-pubescent GIRL CHILDREN?

Why aren't we fighting to have women's studies included as part of every basic curriculum, starting at least in high school?

61. +1 zillion!

I don't know why we don't fight for these things. Women's human rights have always been lesser, not talked about, as if it were some embarrassment. "Women have it great, there's no discrimination". Bullshit! We are disregarded and dehumanized in a way that is....gee, I am suddenly at a loss to explain it.....

This may seem small, but I keep comparing how media handles black History Month and Women's History Month. (Basically, women's History Month is invisible. There are NO public Education Spots introducing various great and talented women, women who influenced our cultural, scientific, artistic and/or intellectual heritage)

56. Unfortunately, it's much simpler than just Angry White Men.

While I am in total agreement with the feelings expressed in both the original post and in the comments, I think y'all are missing a big chunk of what this is all about. Sex, and birth-control, and all that is just an excuse. The problem is that unemployment is high and wages are low. When there is plenty of demand for workers, then the oligarchy will hire all comers, any color, any sexual orientation, any gender. However, now we are in a recession, there are more workers than there are jobs and the gummint is having to pay out all that money in unemployment and people are pissed because they can't find jobs.

One solution is to create more jobs, but then you have to pay US wages and US benefits to US workers, instead of outsourcing your iPods and Mac's to China. A better solution (from their point of view) is to reduce unemployment so that can say, 'See! The economy is improving.' So, get rid of the women in the workforce and let men take those jobs. If you keep the 'little woman' home, barefoot and pregnant, then she can't go out and get a job. Suddenly the pool of available workers looking for jobs is smaller, so suddenly the number of 'unemployed workers' is lowered and they can claim that their plan for the economy is working. At the same time you also raise the female mortality rate. We have already raised the infant mortality rate (the US ranks 46th in infant mortality rate and 39th in maternal mortality in childbirth). I am not ashamed of my country, I am disgusted with it.

58. Yep, but remember the attack is on men too.

The harassment is for anybody who chooses to not not get somebody pregnant. Its about forcing supposedly "Christian" values on people using the most invasive and demonic means they get their hands on. And make no mistake, those "means" are the ends, and the supposedly Christian "ends" are the means to get there. Would Jesus make the government force ultrasound observing devices in women's bodies? Would Jesus resort to these sick techniques? Nope. Religion is a cheap tool to get where they want.

60. This is another post that needs to go viral.

By any means necessary---

You state the issue very clearly---they want to enslave us to their ideology. They don't even think far enough ahead to consider the outcomes of their sick twisted retrograde thinking. They want to make us into mindless baby machines.